October Board Meeting Recap
Fall is in full swing, and we're continuing to learn more about the community our Co-op calls home.
Community Engagement
This month, we welcomed Shawn Tiegs, Superintendent of the Moscow School District, to share updates about our local schools.
One of the topics Shawn discussed was a proposed seven-year levy to help address the district's aging school buildings and transform certain spaces, with an emphasis on technical education programs and student safety.
These conversations are an important part of the Board's work. The Co-op is more than a grocery store; we're part of a larger community, and understanding what's happening around us helps us think about the role we play within it. Taking time to listen and learn from local organizations helps us stay connected to the people and community we serve.
Co-op Business
We took a look back at our September Annual Meeting, and Melinda shared an overview of her monthly General Manager's FYI report.
The Board also had a roundtable discussion about the pros and cons of continuing our work with Columinate in 2027. These conversations help us reflect on the resources and support available to the Board as we continue our governance work.
As a reminder, the Board's role is to govern and provide oversight on behalf of our Owners. We don't run the Co-op's day-to-day operations. Instead, we work with the General Manager to set direction, establish policy, and think about the Co-op's long-term health and future.
Grocery Story
We continued our group reading project of Grocery Story: The Promise of Food Co-ops in the Age of Grocery Giants by Jon Steinman. This month, Joseph and our Board Admin, Sarah, led our discussion on Chapters 9 and 10.
Reading and discussing the book together gives us an opportunity to step back from our regular Board work and consider the bigger picture: what makes food co-ops distinctive, what responsibilities come with being a cooperative, and how we can continue putting our values into practice here in Moscow.
Learning together helps us ask better questions and make more thoughtful decisions as stewards of the Co-op.
Looking Ahead
We ended our regular meeting with an Executive Session focused on future planning.
Our next Board meetings are November 3rd and December 1st.
Thank you to Shawn for sharing his time and perspective with us, and to our Owners for being part of this cooperative community. Listening, learning, and staying connected to our community are all part of helping the Co-op remain healthy and true to its purpose.